Combined tiering frame and tray



March 17, 1964 w. s. BRENGMAN ETAL 3,125,225

COMBINED TIERING FRAME AND TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1961 r INVENTORS WAYNE S. BRENGMAN 8 JQSEPH A. R0 US ATTORNEYS I l Ill/l nu N March 17, 1964 w. s. BRENGMAN ETAL 3, 25, 5

COMBINED TIERING FRAME AND TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1961 United States Patent 3,125,225 CQMMNED TERING FRAME AND TRAY Wayne S. Brengman, Wooster, and Joseph A. Rogus, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to Rubbermaid Incorporated, Wooster, Ghio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 132,165 Claims. (-31. 211-426) This invention relates generally to drawers or trays for storing articles, and more particularly drawers mounted in a frame adapted to be installed in a previously constructed cupboard and the like.

In an ordinary kitchen many of the cupboard shelves are used to store a variety of packages, cans and containers of various sizes and shapes. When a certain package or container is desired, it is difiicult to locate it among the assorted containers, particularly if it is at the rear of a shelf. Of course, the packages can be stored in a drawer which is pulled out to aid in locating the desired item, but it is impossible to prefabricate a cupboard having the right number of drawers to satisfy a variety of individual requirements.

Moreover, the sizes of prefabricated drawers, particularly as to depth, often do not suit individual requirements, and much available space is wasted. Further, the sides of a conventional drawer are higher than the packages contained therein, so that even when the drawer is pulled out only the tops of the packages can be observed to aid in selecting a particular package.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved frame with a roll-out tray which is adapted to be easily installed on a shelf or the like in a single unit or in multiple tiered units.

Another object is to provide an improved tray frame having tiered units which interlock.

A further object is to provide an improved tray frame having stop means normally limiting the tray roll-out and permitting removal of the tray by raising its front end.

A still further object is to provide an improved combined frame and tray having novel cooperating roller and track means on the frame and tray.

These and other objects are accomplished by the improved construction comprising the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. Various modifications and changes in details of construction are comprehended within the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of two of the novel frame and tray units tiered one upon the other, the manner of removing the upper tray being shown in phantom lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on line 22 of FIG. 6, showing the interlocking connection between the rear ends of the two tiered frames.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan View of the tiered units, partly broken away and in section.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the tiered units, partly broken away.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation.

While two of the novel frame and tray units are shown tiered one upon the other in the drawings, it will be understood that any number of units may be tiered upon each other, or a single unit may be mounted on a cupboard shelf or the like. The units are identical in construction so that only one need be described in detail.

Each unit comprises a frame 10 in which a tray or drawer 11 is rollably mounted for pull-out movement longitudinally thereof. Each frame has upper and lower 3,125,225 Patented Mar. 17, 1964 side rods 12 and 13, respectively, connected at their front ends by upright legs 14, at their rear ends by upright legs 15, and at intermediate portions by upright legs 16. As shown, the front and rear legs 14 and 15 may be bent downwardly from the upper side rods 12, and may be bent inwardly at their lower ends to form integral transverse front and rear rods 17 and 18, respectively.

The intermediate upright legs 16 are attached at their upper ends, as by welding, to the upper side rods, and may be bent inwardly at their lower ends to form an integral transverse rod 19. Preferably, the transverse rods 17, 18 and 19 are attached, adjacent to the upright legs 14, 15 and 16, to the lower side rods 13, as by welding.

The front ends of the lower side rods 13 are formed into reverse loops 20, for a purpose to be described. The rear ends of said rods 13 extend rearwardly beyond the front transverse rods 17 and preferably are connected by a transverse rod 21 spaced to the rear of transverse rod 18. Beyond the rod 18, the rear end portions of the lower side rods 13 have transversely aligned notches 22 in their upper sides.

As shown, the upper portions of rear legs 15 are extended rearwardly to form bends 23, and a transverse rod 24 is secured, as by welding, on the top sides of said bends in vertical alignment with the notches 22 in the rear ends of said lower side rods 13. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upright legs 14, 15 and 16 have inwardly inclined portions 25, so that when one frame is tiered upon another, the upper side rods 12 of the lower frame will fit closely along and outside of the lower side rods 13 of the upper frame, with the rear ends of the upper side rods 12 of the lower frame within the reverse loops 20 of the upper frame (FIG. 4).

When the upper frame is tiered upon the lower frame, by tilting the front end of the upper frame upwardly, its transverse lower rod 21 can be slid under the transverse upper rod 24 of the lower frame to engage said rod 24 in the notches 22 of said rod 21 and interlock the two frames against relative movement. As shown, the rod 21 may be bent slightly upward between the notches 22, to increase the interlocking effect. When the front end of the upper frame is lowered, its loops 20 will fit around the front ends of the side rods 12 of the lower frame to interlock the front ends of the frames against relative lateral movement.

The roll-out trays 11 are movably mounted in opposed channel tracks 27 secured on the insides of the upright frame legs 14, 15 and 16 as by welding. Preferably, the channel tracks have inturned upper and lower flanges or legs 28 and 29, respectively, and the tray has outturned flanges 30 extending into the channels under their upper legs 28. Rollers 31, preferably of plastic such as nylon, are journaled on the side walls 32 of the tray near the rear end thereof and rollably support the tray on the lower legs 29 of the tracks 27. Notches 33 are preferably provided in the tray flanges 30 above the rollers to allow the rollers to contact the upper channel legs 28 as desired. The trays have front and back walls 34 and 35 and a bottom wall 36.

If the trays 11 are made of plastic material, as indicated in cross section in FIG. 4, it may be desirable to reinforce the tray flanges 30 with metal angles 37 fused or riveted to the side walls 32 at spaced points 38, and the rollers 31 are then journaled on the metal angles. At the front ends of the tracks rollers 39 are journaled, and these rollers rollably support the front ends of the tray flanges 3th in the closed position of the tray and progressively support the tray as it is pulled outwardly from the frame.

Stop projections 40 depend from the tray flanges 30 in front of the rollers 31, to limit the normal pull-out move- 3 ment of the tray by contacting the rollers 39 when the tray is pulled out of the frame about two-thirds of its length. The front wall 34 extends laterally beyond side walls 32 and abuts the front ends of tracks 27 to limit inward movement of the tray.

The front end portions of the upper track flanges 2 8 are notched out at 42 to allow complete removal of the tray from the frame when the tray is in pulled-out position. This is accomplished by tilting the front end of the tray upwardly through the notches 42 until the stops 4% clear the rollers 39, whereupon the tray can be removed, in the manner indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 1.

The trays 11 are relatively shallow, being less than onehalf the height of the frames 10, and the tracks 27 are positioned so that each tray is mounted in the lower portion of its frame. Consequently, articles stored in the trays are visible through the front and sides of the frame, and are easily accessible when the trays are pulled out, resulting in maximum selectivity.

In installing one or more of the novel frame and tray units on a cupboard shelf or the like, the frame is placed in the desired position on the shelf, and the lower side rods 13 fastened to the shelf by suitable clips. If the space above the frame is available, another frame may be tiered on top of the first by sliding the upper frame rearwardly over the lower frame and slightly tilting the front end of the upper frame upwardly to slide the lower transverse rod 21 of the upper frame under the upper transverse rod 24 of the lower frame to interlock the rod 24 in the notches 22 of the upper frame. The front end of the upper frame is then lowered so that the transverse rods 17, 18 and 19 thereof rest on the upper side rods 12 of the lower frame with the front ends of said rods fitting within the reverse loops 2% of the upper frame. This tiering operation is repeated if additional frames can be installed on top of the second one.

The trays are then slid into place within the frames, each tray being tilted to insert its rear end through the notches 42 in the upper flanges of the tracks and pass the stops 40 of the tray over the front rollers in the tracks.

The novel assembly provides an easily installed frame and tray unit which is adapted to be tiered in interlocking relation with like units, which has improved cooper ating roller and track means on the frame and tray, and which provides maximum inspection and access to articles stored in said tray.

What is claimed is:

1. A tiering frame for a roll-out tray, comprising upper and lower longitudinal frame side rods connected by upright front and rear legs, the lower side rods being connected at their rear ends by transverse rod portions, a cross bar resting on top of and connecting the rear ends of said upper side rods, the rear ends of said lower side rods extending beyond said transverse rod portions and being notched to look under the cross bar of a like frame on which said first frame is tiered, and the front ends of said lower side rods having loops to interlock with the front ends of the upper rods of said like frame.

2. A tiering frame for a roll-out tray, comprising upper and lower frame side rods connected by upright front and rear legs, the lower side rods being connected at their rear ends by transverse rod portions extending beyond said side rods, a cross bar resting on top of and connecting the rear ends of the upper side rods, the rear ends of said lower side rods extending beyond said transverse rod portions and adapted to interlock with the cross bar of a like frame on which said first frame is tiered, and the extensions of said transverse rod portions adapted to rest on the upper side rods of said like frame.

3. A tiering frame for a roll-out tray, comprising upper and lower frame side rods connected by upright legs, the lower side rods being connected by transverse rod portions extending beyond said side rods, a cross bar resting on top of and connecting the rear ends of the upper side rods, the rear ends of said lower side rods extending beyond said transverse rod portions and adapted to interlock with the cross bar of a like frame on which said first frame is tiered, the front ends of said lower side rods having reverse loops to interlock with the front ends of the upper side rods of said like frame, and the extensions of said transverse rod portions adapted to rest on the upper side rods of said like frame.

4. A combined tiering frame and tray unit, comprising a frame having upper and lower frame side rods connected by upright legs, opposed channel tracks mounted on said upright legs and spaced below said upper frame side rods, a roller journaled in the front end of each track, a tray having side flanges extending into said opposed tracks and supported on said rollers, the upper edge of said tray being spaced below said upper frame side rods, and integral means on said lower frame side rods to interlock with the upper part of a like frame on which said first frame is tiered.

5. A combined tiering frame and tray unit, comprising a frame having upper and lower frame side rods connected by upright legs, opposed channel tracks mounted on said upright legs and spaced below said upper frame side rods, a roller journaled in the front end of each track, a tray having side flanges extending into said opposed tracks and supported on said rollers, the upper edge of said tray being spaced below said upper frame side rods, rear rollers journaled on opposite sides of said tray and rollably supported on said tracks, the front portions of said tracks being slotted to permit removal of said tray by raising its front end, and integral means on the lower frame side rods to interlock with the upper part of a like frame on which said first frame is tiered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,769,551 Just Nov. 6, 1956 2,925,919 Wilson Feb. 23, 1960 2,946,458 Du Boil July 26, 1960 2,950,825 Averill Aug. 30, 1961 

1. A TIERING FRAME FOR A ROLL-OUT TRAY, COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER LONGITUDINAL FRAME SIDE RODS CONNECTED BY UPRIGHT FRONT AND REAR LEGS, THE LOWER SIDE RODS BEING CONNECTED AT THEIR REAR ENDS BY TRANSVERSE ROD PORTIONS, A CROSS BAR RESTING ON TOP OF AND CONNECTING THE REAR ENDS OF SAID UPPER SIDE RODS, THE REAR ENDS OF SAID LOWER SIDE RODS EXTENDING BEYOND SAID TRANSVERSE ROD PORTIONS AND BEING NOTCHED TO LOCK UNDER THE CROSS BAR OF A LIKE FRAME ON WHICH SAID FIRST FRAME IS TIERED, AND THE FRONT ENDS OF SAID LOWER SIDE RODS HAVING LOOPS TO INTERLOCK WITH THE FRONT ENDS OF THE UPPER RODS OF SAID LIKE FRAME. 